Over 35 residents attended their local health commissioner’s Big Chat event to have their say about the latest health plans for the area.

NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) held its eighth event at Bootle Cricket Club on Tuesday 11 July.

The CCG team gave updates on topics covered at previous Big Chats, so attendees could hear how their views had fed in to schemes and services including the organisation’s transformation programme, Shaping Sefton, its repeat prescription ordering scheme, Care at the Chemist and its recent review of community services.

Trish Bennet from new community services provider, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust introduced herself to south Sefton residents with a presentation focusing on what local people and patients can expect from the trust in the future to improve their care. Mersey Care took over the running of these services on 1 June 2017.

Looking to the future, a series of table based discussions explored people’s thoughts about some new ideas to make services more efficient and effective. Guests heard from chief finance officer, Martin McDowell about the financial challenges that the CCG faces and how it plans to balance the books amidst ever tightening budgetary constraints faced by the CCG and the wider NHS.

Residents were surprised to hear how much certain treatments cost the NHS per patient from an MRI scan of their brain at £188 to a liver transplant at £35,000. The aim was to get people thinking about the cost of healthcare and the difficult choices the CCG has to make when planning spend for the financial year ahead.

Dr Andrew Mimnagh, chair at the CCG, said: “The event was an opportunity for us to tell people how some of the schemes that we have rolled out this year have improved people’s quality of care as well as ensuring we are being more cost effective.

“At our Big Chat last year we asked for people’s views on those schemes, like the repeat prescription ordering scheme so it was good to give people the results of that and show the potential savings so far along with the feedback from patients.

“Big Chats are worthwhile events and we really do value people’s opinions so we would welcome you to come along - it is your NHS and we want you to play a part in shaping healthcare for yourself and for others around you in south Sefton.”

Trish Bennett, director of integration at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. We want to work collaboratively with partners to support local residents to be cared for in their own community and remain as independent as possible, rather than having to go to hospital. Mersey Care is committed to ensuring that we provide the highest quality of physical and mental health care.”

The CCG will hold its ‘annual review meets Big Chat’ event on Thursday 21 September 2017 and more information will be available on its website nearer the time. People can register their interest by emailing southsefton.ccg@nhs.net or calling 0151 247 7000.

You can view the presentations from the event and see a photo gallery on our get involved page.